Drugs and Crime
Code: 100467 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500257 Criminology | OB | 3 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Lydia Giménez Llort
- Email:
- Lidia.Gimenez@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- Yes
Teachers
- Beatriz Molinuevo Alonso
Prerequisites
English reading: moderate level.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aims of the course are:
- to provide an overview of the current state of substance use according to several observatories and reports at national, European and global levels;
- to introduce basic concepts related to drugs and substance-related disorders (intoxication, tolerance, withdrawal, and so on);
- to provide a biopsychosocial view on the various mechanisms involved in the addictive behavior, with particular emphasis on the most relevant scientific findings from basic and applied perspectives;
- to know the effects of the main families of drugs on various body systems and their effects on cognitive and volitional abilities;
- to know methodologies and evaluation tools that allow to have a global vision of the history and the current situation of drug dependence of the person;
- to introduce the existing outpatient therapeutic alternatives and the most relevant current pharmacological treatments;
- to study the relationship between addictive behavior to drugs and criminal behavior, and to learn various theoretical approaches and types of crimes associated.
The formative aims of this course will correspond to:
“The use of methodologies of the research area to analyze the information in a specific context and to evaluate the results so that the application of these methodologies allows to carry out specialized studies at master’s and doctoral level.”
“The transmition to the specialized public and society in general the contributions to solve situations in the area of drug addiction with the goal of prevention and social integration”.
Competences
- Ability to analyse and summarise.
- Accessing and interpreting sources of crime data.
- Analysing the conflict and criminology by using the criminological theories and their psychological and sociological foundations.
- Designing a criminological research and identifying the appropriate methodological strategy to the proposed goals.
- Drawing up an academic text.
- Identifying existing social resources to intervene in the conflict and criminality.
- Respectfully interacting with other people.
- Students must demonstrate they comprehend the criminological theories.
- Using the evaluation techniques of criminogenic risk and needs of a person in order to decide an intervention proposal.
- Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
- Working autonomously.
- Working in teams and networking.
Learning Outcomes
- Ability to analyse and summarise.
- Analysing with scientific criteria the information obtained in criminological databases.
- Applying the criminological theories.
- Applying the scientific criminological knowledge to the delinquency analysis.
- Appropriately choosing the social resource for each professional intervention case.
- Drawing up an academic text.
- Inferring the intervention models in accordance with a previous needs assessment.
- Respectfully interacting with other people.
- Using the appropriate research methodology in accordance with the suggested criminological research.
- Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
- Working autonomously.
- Working in teams and networking.
Content
Section 1. Conceptual basis
Current status of alcohol and drugs consumption
Drugs: definition and concepts related
Section 2. Mechanisms explaining drug addiction
Individual and social influences in drug addiction
Neurobiology of drugs and drug addiction
Drug addiction: learning and conditioning
Section 3. History, mechanisms of action and effects
Alcohol
Cannabinoids
Psychostimulants
Opioids
Drug Design
Section 4. Different levels of actuation in drug addiction
Prevention
Psychological assessment
Diagnosis and therapeutic options
Rehabilitation and reintegration
Section 5. Criminological aspects
Relationship between drugs and crime
Types of crimes associated with drugs
Note: These blocks will be divided between lectures and seminars. The first day of class a schedule will be provided.
Methodology
The contents of the subject are treated in lectures that cover the most fundamental conceptual aspects and seminars that address the most practical aspects in a dynamic and interactive way.
Lectures
- Current state of alcohol and drugs consumption
- Drugs: Definitions and concepts related
- Individual and social influences in drug addiction
- Neurobiology of drugs and drug addiction
- Drug addiction: Learning and conditioning
- Alcohol
- Cannabinoids
- Psychostimulants
- Opioids
- Drug Design
- Relationship between drugs and crime
- Criminal typologies related to drugs
Seminars.
- Scientific databases and search of articles about drugs
- References manager and social network for scientists
- A research proposal
- Molecules that hook
- Biological and environmental variables and addictive behavior
- Addictive behavior and condicionting
- Continuation of research proposal
- Data analysisand interpretation in empirical studies on Drugs
- Legalization of cannabis
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Oral communication of a proposal of research
- Case study
- Prevention of drug addiction
- Psychological assessment in drugs
- Diagnostic and therapeutical alternatives for people with drug addiction
- Rehabilitation and reintegration
There are 4 seminars with an associated group work and 3 seminars that are about a development of a research proposal. The 4 seminars will be qualified as “acceptable” and only those qualified as "unfit" will be returned to be changed.
Tutorials
The student can request individual or group tutoring about any of the aspects that configure its learning.
Punctuality
Classes start on time. Late arrival is not admitted.
Further infomation
Allthe information will be exhibited on the Moodle platform.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 19.5 | 0.78 | 4, 3, 5, 7 |
| Specialized seminars (SESP) | 19.5 | 0.78 | 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8, 1, 10, 11 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Self-study hours, preparation of global works, readings | 96 | 3.84 | 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 1, 11, 12 |
Assessment
Requirements to pass the course
Students must follow the course (minimum attendance of 80% of the theoretical classes and seminars) in order to be evaluated. Only those that follow it are entitled to attend the final exam in order to recover the parts not passed in the midterm exams.
To pass the course, in addition to the minimum attendance of 80%, it is necessary to obtain a minimum grade of 5 in each of the two parts in which the course is structured (First part: block 1 and 2 and alcohol topic; Second part : from cannabinoids to block 5).
Continuous assessment
During the course there will be two calls for partial evaluations of the subject. The dates will be communicated to the students on the first day of class. These evaluations, if they are passed, will serve to eliminate material from the final synthesis multiple choice exam. Each exam will lead to an independent note. Questions will be multiple choice items with five answer options and only one valid choice.
A correction will be applied to discard the random hits [Corrected score = (hits - (errors / 4))] that will be transformed into a note that can vary between 0 and 10.
After each examination, the students will have a period of 24 hours to send, through Moodle, comments or complaints about the questions, which will be analyzed by the faculty before publishing the provisional list of grades. Subsequently, once the list has been published, an exam review session will be convened, to be announced at least two days in advance through Moodle.
The students will have two opportunities to overcome each of the two parts: the first, in the continuous assessment and the second in the final multiple choice exam of synthesis.
Final exam
Students who have not passed the subject through continuous assessment may submit to a final synthesis multiple choice exam. The date will be communicated on the first day of class. The test will consist of two parts: a) First part of theory and seminars; and b) Second part of theory or seminars. Each student should only be tested for the part that has not passed in the continuous assessment.
The characteristics of the exams as well as theformula to calculate the grade will bethe same as those of the continuous evaluations.
After each examination, the students will have a period of 24 hours to send, through Moodle, comments or complaints about the questions, which will be analyzed by the faculty before publishing the provisional list of grades. Subsequently, once the list has been published, an exam review session will be convened, to be announced at least two days in advance through Moodle.
Students who have already passed the entire subject or a part of it in the continuous evaluations and who want to present themselves to improve one or more parts of the course can do so as long as they communicate it to the coordinator of the course, through Moodle, with a minimum notice of three days. Submission to a mark improvement exam will not result in a waiver of the mark obtained on the corresponding continuous assessment test.
Students who have not passed the course through continuous assessment and who on the day of the final multiple choice exam of synthesis do not present themselves to the examination or exams of the parts not passed, will be qualified as "not evaluable".
Final grade of the subject
The exam will count for the 50% of the grade of the subject. Each of the 4 seminars with a delivery document will be the 5% of the grade and the research will correspond with the 30% of the grade.
Grade= (mean mark in the partial exam*0.5) + (seminars mark*0.2) + (research proposal *0.3).
This formula will only be applied if the exams of the subject have been approved.
The students who did not attend a seminar will not be counted the participation in the work linked to the corresponding seminar.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global reports of the seminars | 20% 0.5 each seminar | 8 | 0.32 | 4, 3, 5, 7, 6, 8, 1, 10, 11, 12 |
| Objective evaluation writen test | 50% | 5 | 0.2 | 4, 3, 5, 7, 1 |
| Research proposal group presentation | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | 2, 12, 9 |
Bibliography
The bibliography and the links of interest indicated below allow to expand and obtain a more detailed knowledge of the contents studied in the lectures and seminars.
Among them, the most basic books for the follow-up of the subject are indicated with an asterisk * .
1. RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Basic concepts in drug addiction
Fernández-Teruel, A. (2008) Farmacología de la conducta: De los psicofármacos a las terapias psicológicas. Bellaterra, Barcelona: Servei de Publicacions de la UAB. (Capítulo 10: “Farmacología de la adicción y las sustancias de abuso”)
*Golstein, A. (1995). Adicción. Barcelona: Ediciones en Neurociencias.
Golstein, A. (2003). Adicción: de la biología a la política de drogas. Barcelona: Ars Mèdica.
Koob, G. F. (2006). Neurobiology of addiction. Londres: Elsevier Academic Press.
Lorenzo, P., Ladero, J.M., Leza, J.C. y Lizasoain, I. (2009). Drogodependencias. Farmacología, patología, psicología, legislación. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
Snyder, S. H. (1993). Drogas y Cerebro. Barcelona: Prensa Científica.
Explanatory mechanisms of drug use
Domjan, M. & Burkhard, B. (1994). Principios de Aprendizaje y Conducta. Madrid: Debate.
*Graña, J.L. (1994). Conductas adictivas: teoría, evaluación y tratamiento. Madrid: Debate
Snyder, S. H. (1993). Drogas y Cerebro. Barcelona: Prensa Científica.
Characteristics and effects of various drugs
Golstein, A. (1995). Adicción. Barcelona: Ediciones en Neurociencias.
Feldman, R.S., Meyer, J.S., & Quenzer, L.F. (1997). Principles of Neuropsychopharmacology. Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates, Inc.
*Lorenzo, P., Ladero, J.M., Leza, J.C., & Lizasoain, I. (2009). Drogodependencias. Farmacología, patología, psicología, legislación. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
Publicacions of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (https://www.drugabuse.gov/es/informacion-sobre-drogas)
Levels of action: Prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration
Díaz-Morán, S. & Fernández-Teruel, A. (2013). Integración e interacciones entre los tratamientos farmacológicos y psicológicos de las adicciones: una revisión. Anales de Psicología, 29 (1): 54-65.
Garrido, V. (1993). Técnicas de tratamiento para delincuentes. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Ramón Areces.
Graña, J.L. (1994). Conductas adictivas: teoría, evaluación y tratamiento. Madrid: Debate
Manuals and guides of Socidrogalcohol (http://www.socidrogalcohol.org/manuales-y-guias-clinicas-de-socidrogalcohol.html)
Criminological aspects
Bennett, T. & Holloway, K. (2005). Understanding drugs, alcohol and crime. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Carrasco, J.J. & Maza, J.M. (2008). Manual de Psiquiatría Legal y Forense. Madrid: La Ley-Actualidad, S.A.
Cohen, P. J. (2004). Drugs, addiction, and the law: policy, politics, and public health. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Fuertes, J.C. & Cabrera, J. (2007). La salud mental en los tribunales. Madrid: AránEdiciones.
Garrido, V., Stangeland, P., & Redondo, S. (2006). Principios de Criminología. 3ª edición. Valencia: Editorial Tirant lo Blanch.
2. LINKS OF INTEREST
http://www.aspb.es/quefem/atenciodroga.htm (Agència de Salut Pública. Pla d’acció sobre drogues de Barcelona)
http://www.socidrogalcohol.org/ (Sociedad Científica Española de estudios sobre el alcohol, el alcoholismo y las otras toxicomanías)
http://www.pnsd.msc.es/ (Plan Nacional sobre Drogas)
http://www.who.int/es/ (Organización Mundial de la Salud)
http://www.nida.nih.gov/ (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/ (EuropeanMonitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction)
http://www.criminologia.net/ (Sociedad Española de Investigación Criminológica)
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
http://www.irefrea.org/ (Institut Europeo de Estudios en Prevención)
http://www.incb.org/ (International Narcotics Control Board)